British pop superstar Dua Lipa is back in Atlanta for two nights at State Farm Arena as part of the North American leg of her worldwide “Radical Optimism” tour.
Since Dua Lipa was last in Atlanta more than three years ago, she released the “Radical Optimism” album, which is the main showcase for this tour. Ten of the night’s 22-song set were from the album, including the hits “Training Season” and “Houdini,” which bookended a night of high-energy music, dance, and visuals.
You knew the moment you walked in that a dance show was about to happen. There were no seats on the floor, which opened up the space for fans to dance and get closer to Dua Lipa.
The stage setup was impressive, with a massive projection screen behind a structure holding the band that looked alternately like a sailing ship or a bridge. Staircases led down to the main stage and a catwalk that extended into the middle of the arena floor were put to use by Dua and her dance troupe.
Dua strutted and danced her way through some slick choreography to hits like “One Kiss,” “Break My Heart,” and “Levitating,” but it was when she and the band moved to the smaller stage at the end of the catwalk that things got more intimate.
Dua left the stage to go down and talk to members of the audience, take selfies, and even borrowed a fan’s feather boa before performing “Maria,” “These Walls” and a spot-on cover of Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” which had the audience singing along to the Atlanta hip-hop duo’s hit.
Then it was back to the dance music, including a throbbing version of “Physical” and a euphoric version of “Electricity.” There was a bit of fun as Dua encouraged different parts of the nearly sold-out arena to see who could cheer the loudest.
To close out the main evening, Dua wove together a set of songs from both “Radical Optimism” and her breakthrough album “Future Nostalgia.”
“Love Again” and “Anything For Love” saw Dua surrounded by leaping flames before being hoisted into the air on a mini stage. She closed with “Be The One” from her self-titled debut album, and remarked that it was a personal favorite that she had performed on every tour. As she sang a bit of the song a cappella, it was clear that Dua has an incredible voice that is sometimes lost in the dance music.
When she returned for the encore, it was a set of hits that had the audience jumping, starting with “New Rules,” which also included a snippet of “Dance The Night Away.”
Then she closed the night with the one-two punch of “Don’t Start Now” – her pulsating club hit from the pandemic era – and the most recent, “Houdini.”
I was fortunate enough to attend the “Future Nostalgia” tour three years ago, which I found to be amazing. However, I can confidently say that last night’s show was even bigger and better, as Dua Lipa’s star continues to rise. Bring on the next album and tour.
There are still some tickets available for tonight’s (Sept. 14) show. Grab them if you can!
